Jul 18, 2017
Kodak Black, Colorism and the absurdity of it all
This Kodak Black shit has been brewing on my mind all week, although it took a series of events to even get me to pay attention.
At first, I was minding my medium brown business when everything went down. I found myself scrolling on Instagram when his Live video went viral, as he proudly declared that he doesn’t prefer Black women (unless you’re KeKe Palmer), instead he prefers white girls like Taylor Swift-n-nem.
With a raised eyebrow and a mental note taken, I continued to mind my medium brown business.
Strike two came when yet another video of Kodak surfaced of him ranting and raving about all the comments left under his Instagram live video. In this video, he makes a statement that taunts the commentators, saying fuck their opinions and justifies his choice of words by saying “I love African-American women. I don’t like black bitches.”
The last and final straw came when he was getting interviewed by Chaney Ellis of Chaney Ellis TV, as she asked him about his comments regarding women with darker complexions. In this video, you’ll hear the Finesse Kid further explain his comments by saying “I love Black women, I just prefer lighter skinned women because they are easier to break down.”
A couple things came to mind after processing all of that:
- Why the hell do they keep giving this man platforms to speak?
- Which one of you heaux’s out here is throwing this man pussy?
There is nothing more irritating than seeing Black men bash Black women on the internet. Whether they are dogging out the dark skinned girls, or proclaiming that they prefer white women because of their “mindsets,” it is safe to say that those guys and Kodak Black are not the type of men that we are checking for. However, behavior like that can only go on for so long until it’s addressed and checked.
Preference is cool. Preference is fun. For example, I prefer baked chicken over fried. I like chocolate candy over candy with nuts in them. I’m a bigger fan of summer than winter. I’m not bashing whatever does not fit into my preference, instead I simply enjoy what I prefer and shut the hell up.
More often than not, we forget that preferences are often socialized. So I ask you all, what do y’all think influenced Mr. Black’s thoughts and feelings?
Kodak Black (whose real name is Dieuson Octave) was born in June of ’97 in Pompano Beach, FL to some Haitian immigrants. Haitians have a beautiful culture rich in history, but many have struggled with colorism issues.
Looking at Kodak’s skin complexion, I am sure that he grew up hearing all types of fucked up things about his skin color. So naturally, he internalized it. When we internalize things, we often turn around and project that shit onto others as an effort to mask our own insecurities.
We can say that white people use colorism as a tool to further divide the Black community, but here’s the thing pals and gals: WE continuously perpetuate it even if we aren’t bashing dark skin.
Thinking about the fellow dark skinned girls I know and love, I am aware that they grew up hearing a bunch of wild shit about their complexion. Over the years, social media has made the masses think that dark skin is now acceptable, but it is actually more of a fetish now and you have to fit a certain aesthetic to be seen as enticing.
Maybe Kodak feels that the light skinned women are the “lil babies” that will actually listen to him, but it bothers me that the only reason he likes them is because he feels they are easier to break down; in other words, easy to manipulate and control.
Whether you think that light skinned girls are nicer and dark skinned girls are too mean, it is all a terrible stereotype that needs to end.
As one writer touched on in this post, Kodak Black obviously suffers from some type of self-esteem issue and if he could stay out of jail long enough, then the next best thing for him is to go sit in the nearest therapist’s chair and work on it.
Moral of the story: have preferences all you want, just leave the bashing of Black women out of it.
